Clarion's Hobby
by StellarDust2K
Summary: Queen Clarion's new hobby sends Vidia & Prilla on their first secret mission to find other fairy colonies.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

Author's Note: Here's my 5th TBell story! It's Vidia & Prilla's first "secret mission" - mentioned in my "Lizzy's Sunset" story. I have ideas for 3 or 4 more, if you like this one.

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**Clarion's Hobby** - Chapter 1 - Crystal Mine Find

"Oh Mary, you must try the baked cranberry." insisted Queen Clarion. "The baking talents have been working their creative magic."

Fairy Mary had been eyeing the baked cranberry since she sat down. Lunch with her queen was a rare treat, so Mary preferred to let the occasion unroll naturally as she sampled each meal item. But now she felt called-upon to step out of sequence, and taste the dessert. She couldn't resist; baked cranberry was her favorite.

"Mm-m." smiled Mary, closing her eyes. "A bit of lemon juice. And a touch of nutmeg." She caught Clarion's approving gaze. "Delightful."

"How are things in the Nook?" asked Clarion. "Everyone behaving themselves?"

"So far, this month." Mary returned Clarion's sly twinkle. "Although tinkers can be exceptionally good at concealing faults." She turned more serious, "What of yourself, Highness? There's been talk of your reclusiveness... you haven't been ill, I hope?"

"I'm fine, Mary." Clarion assured her. "I've found a new hobby... well, I suppose it could lately be called an obsession. I don't want to say much about it yet. I'll see how it works out." Clarion perked up, "Which reminds me, I'm wondering if you could find me a means of sending fast messages between Pixie Hollow and the mainland."

"Faster than a fast-flyer courier?"

"Yes. No rush. Whatever you can think of."

"I'm sure our tinkers can handle that." Mary smiled.

* * *

><p>Next morning, Tinker Bell and Chipper were loading a rebuilt mine pump onto a wagon, using the tinker shop crane, when Fairy Mary flew up.<p>

"How's that pump doing?" asked Mary.

"Just on its way out." replied Tink.

"Good. That'll keep the mining-talents happy. Girls, Queen Clarion is looking for a way to send fast messages between here and the mainland."

"Faster than a fast-flyer?" they asked together.

"YES!" barked Mary. This was the third time she had gotten that same response from tinkers. Chipper jumped in alarm. "I'm sorry." Mary spoke normally. "Yes. I thought perhaps teams of light-talents reflecting coded flashes off a large silver balloon between Neverland and the mainland."

"That's not bad," answered Chipper, "But what would hold the balloon in place? And humans are sure to see it and investigate."

"Mmm. That did occur to me." posed Mary.

"Hey!" cried Tink, "The humans have been experimenting with wireless communications lately. I read about it in one of their journals. Something about sending invisible sparks through the air"

"Is it something we could use?" Mary looked hopeful.

"Maybe. I can check it when we finish this job."

"No rush, sweetie. Just keep it in the back of your head." Mary flew off, humming.

* * *

><p>With the help of the mining-talents, Tinker Bell and Chipper got the large pump down into the mine and fastened to the pipes &amp; drive shaft. It was late afternoon when they released the drive clutch, and the big pump began draining water from the flooded chambers below.<p>

The mining-talents all cheered, anticipating a treasure-trove of finds over the months to come. Tink & Chipper grinned as they stepped under a ceiling light panel to wipe the worst of the dirt off themselves before heading up to the surface.

For the first time, Tink was aware of birds chirping, and the natural color of the light. She looked up at the crystal light panel and was surprised to see trees & sky a short distance above.

"Amber..." called Tink to one of the mining-talents, "How far underground are we?"

"About 100 feet."

"It looks like we're just below the grass."

"I see you've noticed our light panels." smiled Amber. She slid the panel out of its fixture and handed it to Tink, who looked down at the sky-view in the crystal panel she held. Chipper stepped closer for a look.

"This is amazing." Tink gasped. "How does it work?"

"There's a twin panel to this one on the surface. They work in pairs. We came across a huge vein of these crystals about a year ago. We've been using them to light the mine ever since."

"Can we see the crystal vein?" asked Tink, handing the panel back.

"Sure!" smiled Amber, sliding the panel back into its fixture.

* * *

><p>"This is where it begins." stated Amber. "The vein goes down that tunnel, but we haven't found the end yet. What you see here, is our ready stock."<p>

Tink & Chipper looked around at the crystal plates against the walls and stacked on the floor.

"The crystals look like this when we dig them out." Amber picked up a thicker plate. "We cleave them in half along the edge, and get twin thinner plates that pass light between themselves."

"And also sound." observed Tinker Bell. Amber picked up a pair of plates, and handed one to Tink and one to Chipper. Each could see the clear image of the other in their plate.

"But sometimes it doesn't work." Amber pulled out a pair of "dud" plates. Tink and Chipper studied the plates, and the ones in their hands for a moment.

"The outer edge." said Tink.

"Yes." agreed Chipper.

"Huh?"

"See how the working ones have identical edges, while the not-working ones have different edges?" Tink pointed out.

"Oh-h, yeah." noticed Amber.

"I'll bet if you cut or ground the edge before you split it," suggested Chipper, "Even a badly-shaped plate could work."

"Can we borrow these?" Tink held up her plate. "For testing?"

"You can have them." smiled Amber. "Plenty more where they came from."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>On the way back to the workshop, Tinker Bell talked Chipper into playing a little joke on Fairy Mary. Upon arrival, Chipper took one of the crystal plates straight to Fairy Mary and set it on the desk in front of her.<p>

"Oh, Chipper." declared Mary, "I'd expect Tinker Bell to be mucking with "lost things" rubbish, but not **you**."

"I heard that!" called Tink, from the plate on the desk.

"Toppling teapots!" cried a startled Mary, "Where did that voice come from?"

Chipper grinned and tipped the plate up so Tink's image was visible. "We think we found your fast message device." Chipper explained, "Or rather, the mining-talents found it but didn't know."

"You trickster tinkers!" Mary scowled, then realized what was in front of her. "So where is Tinker Bell?"

"Over by the wagon." replied Tink, from the plate. Mary looked up and saw her waving from across the shop. Tinker Bell quickly flew to join them, where they gave Fairy Mary the details. Mary studied the crystal plates in amazement.

"You know," Mary suggested, "The image might be clearer if one side of each plate was painted black." They tried it out, and saw the improvement.

"Let's test the range." Tinker Bell grabbed a crystal plate and flew out of the shop before Fairy Mary could say much. But Tink was right there, in the plate. She swung the plate around, so Mary and Chipper could see where she was flying. They chatted with Tink as she flew past Pixie Hollow's border and continued on.

Fairy Mary decided to cut the test short when Tink flew half-way up Torth Mountain. There seemed to be no range limits to the crystal plates. When Tinker Bell returned, Mary handed a plate to a fast-flyer for delivery to Fairy Camp on the mainland.

* * *

><p>A short while later, Mary, Chipper, and Tink told the story to Queen Clarion.<p>

"Of course," considered Clarion, "Communication crystals. Why couldn't I think of that?"

"So here it is." Fairy Mary presented the crystal plate to Clarion.

"Good evening, Your Highness." called the Minister of Summer from the plate.

"Sunflower!" answered Clarion, "You're speaking from the mainland Fairy Camp?"

"Certainly."

"This is remarkable." Clarion addressed the tinkers. "Better than I'd hoped for, and you say there are more?"

"A lot more." said Tinker Bell.

"These crystals will solve many future problems. Thank you, tinkers."

* * *

><p>And those were the simple beginnings of the Pixie Hollow Communications Department.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

Next: Vidia and Prilla learn about Queen Clarion's hobby.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

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**Clarion's Hobby** - Chapter 2 - Other Fairies

Queen Clarion unrolled a large parchment scroll onto the meeting room table. Vidia and Prilla looked at it with some confusion, having never seen anything this colorful but detailed before.

"This is a map, copied by art-talents from human maps." explained Clarion. "It shows what humans call "the United Kingdom". She set a small carving of a tree on the map. "Here is our main Fairy Camp."

Clarion looked at the 2 fairies, to confirm they were following her. "You both have done considerable traveling on the mainland. How far would you say our fairies range from this Fairy Camp?"

"All the way to the east coast." spoke Vidia, studying the names on the map. "London. The entire south coast, and up the west coast."

"And how far north?" asked Clarion. Vidia and Prilla glanced at each other and examined the names on the map.

"Blackpool, Preston,..." said Prilla.

"Leeds, and York" filled in Vidia.

"So," Clarion stood taller to take-in the whole area, "Neverland fairies cover southern England, Wales, and the Midlands." The 2 others nodded. "What about north of there?"

"Never been there." Vidia shook her head.

"But there are trees, and flowers, and animals, aren't there?"

"Yes." admitted Prilla.

"Who takes care of them?" asked Clarion, innocently.

"I don't know." Prilla stared at the map.

"Both of you come this way, please." Clarion smiled.

* * *

><p>Clarion, Vidia, and Prilla sat at a large oval table in a darkened room. The 2 younger fairies gazed in wonder at the small cascade of pixie dust flowing from the ceiling and onto the table, before disappearing through a drain-hole. Clarion sat before a glowing crystal in a fixture.<p>

"Before you ask," started Clarion. "This is where I've been spending a lot of my time lately. I must insist that you never tell anyone of what you see here. Neverland's safety may depend on it."

Clarion relaxed her solemn face. "Now let me show you what I found in the north." Clarion cupped her hands around the crystal, and gazed at the dust-covered table. Some of the dust jumped from the table and formed itself into 3D pictures in the darkness. The image was of flying high over a mountainous landscape, then the view dove toward a lake, and slowed to a stop as it approached a large tree. Tiny winged people were flitting around the base of the tree. They heard indiscernible snippets of conversation.

"Fairies!" cried Prilla. Vidia's skeptical scowl faded.

"Yes." confirmed Clarion. "I also followed them to their home colony."

The pixie dust image pulled upward, zoomed over the landscape, then out over a sea, before slowing at a solitary island. The view continued forward more slowly and stopped at another large tree, also buzzing with fairies. The image panned around, showing fairy-sized large and small buildings, and roads.

"It's another Pixie Hollow!" Prilla smiled. The pixie dust floated to the table as Clarion looked up.

"Why are you showing us this?" asked Vidia, her scowl returned.

"Where there are fairies, there must be a queen." stated Clarion. "I very much wish to speak with that queen. Considering the distances involved, I believe you and Prilla would make the best first-contact team." Prilla's wings buzzed, but Vidia studied the dark walls.

"I can barely tolerate Pixie Hollow fairies." Vidia grumbled. "What makes you think I'd want to go flying into the wilderness to meet more?"

"Come on, Vidia!" Prilla turned to her. "A whole new colony of fairies, who no one's ever seen before." Vidia crossed her arms and glanced sideways at Prilla.

Prilla leaned closer to Vidia. "A whole new group of fast-flyers..." Prilla spoke softly, "Who've never seen Vidia fly before."

Vidia stared at the dust flowing on the table, but Prilla saw a tiny little smile appear.

"It might be nice to get away from these dreary Neverland fairies for a while." decided Vidia.

"That's the spirit." grinned Prilla.

* * *

><p>On Queen Clarion's advice, Vidia took Prilla on regular fast-fly trips, and Prilla Apparated Vidia back to their start point. This was to prepare each of them for the rigors of the other's particular means of travel. Because Vidia's high speed "wind-fold" was quite blustery, they decided that goggles and hairnets might be a good idea.<p>

"Leave that to me." Prilla told Vidia. "I'll talk to Tinker Bell."

Another consideration was that the standard double-handgrip used to link a fast-flyer to a slower flyer was fine for short trips, but too arduous for long trips. Tinker Bell came up with 2 waist-belts joined by tethers, which also allowed both flyers the use of their hands.

* * *

><p>When they felt they were ready, Vidia and Prilla returned to Queen Clarion early one morning, for a final briefing.<p>

"Here is a map book for each of you." offered Clarion. "Prepared by the art-talents from human maps. Also magnetic compasses and field glasses."

"The humans call this northern area "Scotland". Straight flying distance from Neverland to the Scotland fairies' colony is about 300 miles, but we don't yet know how another colony will take to outsider fairies. So I'd like you to travel from our northern limit - say, Preston, to their Scotland Fairy Camp on Loch Dubh, or Black Lake. No need to stop there, or make your presence known. Just change course and head for their colony."

"The Scotland Fairy Camp is about 240 miles north-north-west of Preston, and their colony is about 110 miles south-west of there. So you can estimate your flying time from that, Vidia."

"Less than 45 minutes to their Fairy Camp," figured Vidia, "and 15 or 20 minutes to their colony."

"Don't strain yourself, Vidia." continued Clarion. "Take breaks as you and Prilla need them. You may need all your reserves if you run into trouble."

"Prilla, I'd like you to present this Letter of Introduction to the Scotland fairy queen, and this communication crystal plate." The art & jewelery talents had prettied-up the functional crystal, to make it into a suitable gift for foreign royalty.

"I also have fairy-palm-sized communication crystals for each of you. These have been made into deliberately drab-looking pendants, which you can wear, but hopefully no one would want to take from you. This will allow you to stay in touch with us. The Communication Department never sleeps."

"It might be best for now, Vidia, if you don't use your wind-fold flying skills around other colony fairies, unless you see them using wind-folds. The same for you, Prilla, and your Apparition talent. We don't know how they may react to such powerful abilities."

"Just before you leave here, stop at the Pixie Dust Depot and speak directly to Fairy Gary. Tell him you each need 2 extra bags of dust; he'll understand. Hide the dust bags under your clothing. That will be your emergency dust if you run into problems."

"As I said, the Communication Department will be there for you any time, and I'll try to watch out for you with my viewing table. I want you on your best behavior around other fairies; remember, you are ambassadors of Neverland. What they see in you, they will see in us all."

Clarion sighed, grasped a hand each of Vidia and Prilla, and gazed at them earnestly. "If anything goes wrong, it may take us some time to get a rescue team to you. Look after each other. Please return safely."

* * *

><p>.<p>

Author's Post Note:

The TBell movies are not clear on how much mainland territory Pixie Hollow fairies can handle. Must they (like Santa Claus) visit every single flower & tree? Or can they work their magic on large areas in minutes? Witness the end of TB1, where they dragged a city park from the depths of winter into early summer, before the song was finished. I decided to err on the side of generosity for a few reasons, so each fairy colony gets about 40,000 square miles to take care of.

Next: Vidia & Prilla are off to Scotland!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

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**Clarion's Hobby** - Chapter 3 - Whit say ye?

Vidia and Prilla left Neverland that morning without a whisper of fanfare, as Queen Clarion and themselves were the only ones who knew of their mission. Prilla Apparated them directly from Pixie Hollow to a vacant fairy station outside of Preston. They donned their hairnets and goggles, hooked up the belt tethers, and regarded each other.

"Don't we look silly." confessed Prilla.

"Ready to find some new fairies?" asked Vidia, with a smirk.

"Sure am!"

They jumped into the air for altitude, then leveled-off. Vidia checked her compass as she turned NNW.

"Here we go!" she called to Prilla, and they blasted forward in a sphere of madly swirling pixie dust.

Vidia preferred to wind-fold cruise at 500 feet; above the birds and trees, but below human aircraft. She discovered this new region was much more hilly than the south. They rose above small mountains, then descended to fly over stretches of water. The wind-fold really put the miles behind them.

Prilla worked hard to do her share of the flying. She was constantly in awe of the tremendous speed fast-flyers were capable of. Several times Vidia asked how she was doing, and Prilla responded "Okay."

"I think we may be getting close to their Fairy Camp." called Vidia. She slowed her speed as they checked the map books. Looking around, they spotted a dark lake to their south-west. "We're a bit north of where we should be." Vidia turned toward the lake.

Vidia slowed more as they approached the north end of the long, narrow lake. Perched high on a hill to their right was a massive castle. They saw a cluster of things - not birds - flying near the castle. Vidia turned to them, slowing to the bottom of her wind-fold speed.

"Flying humans!" exclaimed Prilla. They cruised over a grass field with large hoops on towering poles at each end. Other humans were watching the flying humans from high seating-stands.

"I don't think these are just humans." stated Vidia. "Look at what they're riding on: Brooms. I think they're witches and wizards." They didn't notice one of the flyers in a yellow cloak streak up from under them, in pursuit of what he thought was a sparkling golden ball. He stopped a short distance from them.

"That's not a Snitch!" he shook his head. "Nature fairies." he grumbled, racing back down to the other flying humans.

"What are they doing?" asked Vidia.

"I think they're playing a game." decided Prilla. "Let's watch!".

Vidia dropped to normal flying speed. They unhooked their tethers and lowered their goggles as they turned toward the stands with the watching crowd. The 2 fairies settled on top of a canopy, and sat with their feet dangling over the edge.

The humans on brooms tore through the air with great energy and ambition. It looked like there were 3 balls in play. The 2 smaller balls seemed to have minds of their own. Prilla laughed at the frantic determination of the humans.

"Pretty fast, hey?" she cried.

"They're okay," commented Vidia, "For humans." Vidia watched the humans' teamwork. "I think I like this human flying game. It's rougher than fairy flying games."

After several goals, they decided it was time to move on to the Scotland fairies' colony. They put on the goggles, hooked up tethers, and took to the air, keeping well clear of the human flyers.

"This should be a shorter hop," Vidia told Prilla, "But it's over open water." Vidia kept a close eye on her compass. After 15 minutes of high-speed flight, Prilla pulled out her field glasses and looked ahead.

"I see a patch of clouds," called Prilla. "Over an island." Vidia shifted course to it. As the island grew larger, Vidia dropped out of wind-fold.

"Time to become just everyday, run-of-the-mill fairies." sighed Vidia. The tethers, goggles and hairnets followed the glasses and maps into their carry-bags. They crossed the island coast and continued inland. According to Queen Clarion's viewing table, the colony should be near the south end of the island.

As they crested a hill, they saw a treed sunny valley divided into 4 sections. Each section was a showcase of one of the 4 annual seasons. Prilla gasped in delight. "This is so much like home." she squeaked. At the center of the valley, stood a stunningly tall Scots Pine tree, surrounded by clusters of fairy-sized buildings.

"Scout border guards." said Vidia cautiously. She and Prilla gave them a smile and wave as they passed, which was returned by the scouts. "So far, so good." They flew casually toward the huge pine tree and circled it, surveying the village and fairies flitting below.

"Look, dress-making shops." pointed out Prilla.

"You can bet there are water-talents near that stream." added Vidia.

"That must be their Tinker's Nook."

Vidia snorted. "Why do they always live in a ditch?" They flew lower.

"So what do we do now? Track down the queen?"

"I don't know about you," Vidia sniffed, "but I'm hungry. Let's have lunch." They followed their noses to the source of food.

"You think we should?" Prilla fretted, as they stood outside the building with the wonderful smells.

"Sure. Why not? We're all fairies." Vidia turned and entered, with Prilla close on her heels.

They stood just inside the doorway, scanning the place. Vidia walked to a small table against the left wall, with few local fairies near it. Vidia sat with her back to the wall, so she could watch the dining area and front doors. Prilla sat adjacent to her, so she could watch the dining area and kitchen doors.

The place was about half filled with local fairies dining in clusters, mostly sitting in talent-groups. Vidia and Prilla took-in the fairies, their clothing, their meals, and their chatter, which sounded a bit foreign to them.

"Look at their dresses." Prilla spoke quietly. "They all have lines and colored squares. You can tell who belongs to what talent."

"Mm. Even the sparrow-men are wearing skirts." noted Vidia.

A serving-talent fairy glided up. "Guid day, faeries. Whit can Ah be gettin' ye?" Prilla and Vidia made big eyes at each other.

"Uhm-m." Vidia spoke slowly. "Do you have parsley quiche?"

The serving-talent looked a bit stunned. "Nae, we dont hae 'at t'day."

"Okay..." Vidia looked around the other tables. "We'll just have what they're having." She indicated a nearby table.

"Daily special." the serving-talent gave a stiff smile. "Very guid, 'en." She glided to the kitchen. Vidia mouthed a silent "WHAT?" at Prilla.

"She sounds like Fairy Gary," whispered Prilla, "And Bobble." They listened-in to the animated conversation at the nearest table.

"Nae 'AT insane idea again!" cried a fairy in a blue-green dress.

"Och Phoebe, ye tinkers ur full ay crazy ideas, are-nae ye?" laughed another.

"Luik, aw Ah'm sayin' is 'at it's possible." declared a slim fairy with dark hair, in a short ponytail. "Thaur coods be other faeries besides us."

"I think they're talking about us." smirked Vidia. Prilla covered a smile with her hand.

"An' whaur woods they 'bide, Phoebe?" asked an older fairy with wavy dark red hair. "Oan th' other side ay Dachaigh Sidh?" _(And where would they live, Phoebe? On the other side of Fairy Home?)_

"Nae Heather, they'd 'bide oan th' mainlan'." said Phoebe. _(No Heather, they'd live on the mainland.)_

"We've bin tae th' mainlan'." stated another. "We're th' only faeries."

"They coods 'bide in th' sooth, wi' th' Sassenach." The table burst into laughter. Phoebe turned red. _(They could live in the south, with the English.)_

"Whit woods they dae?" asked one. "Watch us dae th' wark?" _(What would they do? Watch us do the work?)_

"Mebbe they'd supervise us." said another. They all looked at Heather and snickered. Heather gave a cynical half-smile, and sat back.

The serving-talent returned with Vidia and Prilla's meals. Prilla went for the soup, while Vidia tried the main course.

"How's the soup?" asked Vidia. She sniffed the sample on her fork, then slid it into her mouth.

"Good. It's barley. What's that?"

Vidia sniffed the second forkful. "Sunflower petal lasagna. It's okay." She ate the forkful, and continued to sniff & bite.

"I think our serving-talent is quite a gossip." said Prilla quietly. She had watched her whispering to the other serving-talents, who in turn whispered to some of the dining fairies. As Prilla and Vidia made discrete glances, they could see a slow-motion wave of whispers and looks from the other diners over several minutes.

"I guess fairies are the same, no matter where you go." decided Vidia. Near the end of their meal, the whispers had made it to the debating fairies' table. Heather spoke quietly to a couple of the fairies, who got up and walked out, stealing glances at Prilla and Vidia. The dining hall was considerably quieter now.

"Scouts at the door." Vidia murmured to Prilla. A scout-talent stood on either side of the front door. She could see Prilla getting nervous. "Stay calm, Pril." They watched Heather move her chair back, stand up, and cautiously walk toward them. "Here comes our first contact." Vidia told Prilla. Heather stopped a couple of steps from their table. The dining room was silent.

Prilla was struck by how familiar she looked. "_If Rosetta had an older sister..._" she thought.

"Lassies." Heather addressed them. "Yoo're nae frae these parts, ur ye?" All eyes were on them. _(Girls. You're not from these parts, are you?)_

"We were just flying by, and thought we'd drop in for lunch." Vidia stated boldly.

"Whaur ar ye frae?" _(Where are you from?)_

"We're from Neverland." Prilla said, with pride. This appeared to mean nothing to Heather.

"Whit ur ye daein' haur?" _(What are you doing here?)_

Vidia wore her best poker-face. "We're here to supervise you, dearie." The remaining fairies at Heather's table gasped.

"Vidia, don't say that." Prilla put her hand on Vidia's arm. "You'll get us in trouble." Vidia glanced at Prilla's hand. This was a pre-arranged signal; Prilla was ready to Apparate them both to safety. Vidia looked at Prilla and gave a tiny head-shake "no".

Heather snapped her fingers at the 2 scouts, then pointed to the Neverland fairies. The scouts were over immediately.

"Lassies, yoo'd better come wi' me." ordered Heather. Vidia and Prilla stood. The scouts stepped behind them. "Wings doon, an' keep them doon ur th' scoots will cut them." _(Wings down, and keep them down or the scouts will cut them.)_

Heather turned and marched out, followed by Prilla, Vidia, and the 2 scouts. Phoebe the tinker also jumped up and followed at a discrete distance.

.

Author's Post Note:

I was going to put the Scots Fairy Camp on Loch Lomond (big lake, lots of islands, lots of trees, more central), but couldn't resist putting them on Black Lake near Hogwarts.

Thanks to " . " for the Scottish translation. Try it out, it's fun. Sorry if it's a bit unreadable - believe me, I softened it up from the actual Scottish. Also put in some English translations for you. Scottish prose is apparently written as it sounds when spoken.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

Author's Note: I could continue with Scottish dialog, but that would make difficult reading for you. So from now, just "take it as read" that the Scottish fairies are speaking Scottish.

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**Clarion's Hobby** - Chapter 4 -Scot Friends

Heather was leading them to the immense base of the huge Scots Pine tree. Vidia was certain she could be off the ground before the scout behind her could react. She also knew Prilla could vanish instantly to safety, but they were there to meet the Scot fairy queen. This was just a little less dignified than one would hope.

"We're heading in the right direction." Vidia muttered to Prilla. They crossed a large square, inlaid with colorful seashell tiles.

Prilla kept looking all around, and once or twice spotted the dark-haired tinker fairy from the dining room trailing them. _"What was her name? Phoebe?"_ Prilla thought. They climbed a short flight of very wide steps and walked into the main lobby at the base of the Scots Pine tree.

Prilla gasped at the richness of the place, much like their Pixie Dust Tree, but different. It was a large cavity, partly grown and partly carved, of perfectly finished natural pine. The vaulted ceiling was high enough for a human to stand under. A stream-sized column of pixie dust fell from the ceiling, through a wide railed-off hole in the center of the lobby floor, to who-knows-where below. The glow from the pixie dust lit the entire lobby.

Heather led them toward the right, through large open doors, into a somewhat smaller meeting hall off the main lobby. It only had 3-foot ceilings. At the far end of the hall stood a tall fairy, with fiery red hair, wearing living pixie dust garments. She was speaking with attendants.

"Their queen!" Prilla whispered to Vidia. Heather marched them forward and stopped some distance from the queen, awaiting her notice.

"Uhm..." Vidia spoke quietly to Prilla, "You'd better do the talking, Pril. You know how I am around royalty." Prilla smiled at Vidia, and caught another glimpse of Phoebe in the background. The queen turned to the group.

"Heather, what have you brought me today?" she smiled warmly.

Heather stepped aside to display her captives. "Queen Caointiorn, these 2 fairies are strangers."

"Aye. I know every fairy on Dachaigh Sidh, but I don't know you." she glided forward, studying them. "You're obviously not New Arrivals. Where are you from?"

"If you please, Your Highness," Prilla stepped forward and gave one of her lowest bows, "We're from Neverland."

"Neverland..." Caointiorn gazed into the distance. "I've heard that word somewhere, long ago..." She turned to an assistant. "Find me what you can on Neverland."

"Yes, My Lady." the assistant fairy buzzed away.

"What are your names and talents?"

"This is my friend Vidia, a fast-flyer." Prilla indicated. "And I'm Prilla, uh... a fairy-colony-visiting talent."

"I've never heard of such a talent. Have you seen many fairy colonies?"

"This is my first visit to one." Prilla smiled disarmingly.

"So why have you come to our Dachaigh Sidh?" _(Fairy Home)_

Prilla dug into her carry bag and produced the Letter of Introduction, which she offered to Caointiorn. "Our queen wishes very much to speak with you." Prilla waited patiently while Caointiorn read the letter. When the queen looked up, Prilla pulled the communication crystal plate from her carry bag.

"She would also like to present you with this gift." Prilla looked into the plate. "Are you there, Queen Clarion?"

"I'm here Prilla." came Clarion's voice and image from the plate. Prilla turned it toward the Scot fairy queen. "Queen Caointiorn, may I present our Queen Clarion."

Caointiorn gingerly took the decorated crystal plate from Prilla. "Is this an image? Or magical recording?" she asked in wonder.

"No Caointiorn, I'm speaking to you live from Neverland." answered Clarion. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."

"This is a delightful surprise!" Caointiorn smiled. "Clarion, you must tell me all about your Neverland."

"Yes, of course." smiled Clarion. "But first, may I ask the status of my fairies?"

"Ach... my apologies!" she turned to Heather and the scouts. "Pass the word about: These fairies are visiting ambassadors from Neverland. They are to be treated well."

Heather glanced at her 2 former captives, then smiled thinly at her queen. "As you wish, Queen Caointiorn." Prilla gave a sigh of relief as the 2 scouts fluttered off. The Scot fairy queen turned back to Clarion in her crystal plate.

Heather too, looked like she was about to leave, but Phoebe buzzed up to Prilla and asked "Are you really from another fairy colony?"

Prilla gave a big smile and nodded. "We're from Neverland."

Phoebe looked at Heather. "Told you." she grinned. Heather rolled her eyes and imagined there was something interesting at the doorway.

"I'm Phoebe, a tinker. You've already met Heather. She's our best garden-talent." Heather responded to the compliment with her attention.

"Prilla. I'm a... fairy-colony-visiting talent. And this is Vidia. She's our best fast-flyer." Vidia gave a regal nod.

Phoebe's smile fell a bit. "You weren't serious about... supervising us, were you?" Heather also studied the new fairies.

"Of course not!" Prilla laughed. "Vidia has a very dry and sometimes inappropriate sense of humor." Vidia crossed her arms, looking slightly miffed. She was sure she did NOT have a sense of humor.

"Would you like to meet some friends? And get the New Arrival tour?" Phoebe asked, expectantly.

"Sure!" cried Prilla. "Come on, Vidia." Phoebe and Prilla walked briskly toward the exit. Heather and Vidia fell in behind.

"I'm watching you, Vidia." Heather gave her a phony smile.

"I'm watching you too, sweet pea." Vidia smiled back.

* * *

><p>Having just finished the tour, Prilla and Vidia sat on a lower branch of the Scots Pine tree with Phoebe, Heather, and a group of their friends. The pine needle clusters were just perfect for fairies to lounge on.<p>

"I can't get over how much your Cridhe Sidh _(Fairy Heart)_ is like Pixie Hollow." Prilla gazed at the panorama around her.

"I guess fairies everywhere need the same things." said Sorcha, a light fairy.

"I like your tartan-pattern skirts. What are they made of?"

"Caterpillar wool." answered Colina, the animal fairy. "We have large herds of them. They're sheared once a year, then the dyeing-talents and weaving-talents get busy."

"I think it's a great idea for each talent to wear a tartan." Prilla commented. "In Pixie Hollow, tinkers wear green, scouts wear browns, and most fast-flyers wear purple. Oh, and dust-keepers wear some tan, but that's about it." Prilla noticed Vidia seemed to be getting bored. "Why do your sparrow-men wear skirts?"

Several of the Scot fairies looked alarmed, while Isla the water-talent tittered nervously. Heather smiled in amusement.

"Och, you mustn't call them skirts." Heather explained. "They're kilts. Sparrow-men will get quite offended if you call them skirts."

"I see." Prilla blushed. "Sorry." She thought of Vidia again. "I know she wouldn't say so, but Vidia here would like to meet your fast-flyers."

Vidia sat up, "And by "meet", Prilla means "race"." she added. Knowing grins appeared on the Scot fairies' faces.

"Our fast-flyers are pretty fast." Sorcha suggested. Several others nodded agreement.

"Then they don't have anything to worry about." Vidia gave a sly smile.

* * *

><p>The group stood on the outskirts of Cridhe Sidh village, facing a line of fruit, berry, and nut trees that stretched straight along the summer-autumn dividing line to the outer rim of the valley. More local fairies had joined them.<p>

"Every New Arrival fast-flyer wants to race, to prove their skills," explained Heather to Vidia, "Which is why we've set up some standard races for them." She eyed Vidia smugly. Vidia pretended not to notice.

"The race starts here. You fly up the left side of this line of trees," Heather pointed, "Turn right at the valley rim, follow the rim - it's fairly well marked," Heather rotated as she pointed, "All the way about, back to the tree-line, then turn right just after the trees, and back to here. Got it?"

"Never lost it." Vidia looked at the group. "Who's your fastest flyer here?" Of the 3 flyers there, 2 of them looked at the third.

"That would be me." Aileen stepped forward. "I'll race you." Vidia handed Prilla her carry-bag.

"Alright fast-flyers," Heather called, "Ready, and... Go!"

Vidia took off slightly behind the other flyer, to eliminate any claims of cheating. She quickly accelerated past the other fairy, but after a moment, she couldn't hear the wing-buzz of her competitor. She glanced back and was startled to see Aileen falling far behind.

Vidia slowed, rolled over on her side and yelled "Are you holding back?"

"What?" yelled Aileen. "Nae!"

Vidia could see she was trying her frantic best. She sighed in disgust, "This is pointless." Vidia turned back to the starting line with Aileen close behind her. She crossed her arms as she landed, viewing the local fast-flyers with a cynical frown.

"She's fast." Aileen told her fellow flyers.

"Faster than Kenina?" asked one.

Aileen glanced at Vidia. "Aye."

Heather was listening to this exchange, and turned to Vidia. "Then she has to meet Neil." The 3 flyers also turned to Vidia with confident grins.

"Aye, she has to meet Neil." repeated Aileen.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Author's Post Note: For you Scottish Gaelic speakers out there, I hope I got the place-names grammar right.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

Author's Note: I could continue with Scottish dialog, but that would make difficult reading for you. So just "take it as read" that the Scottish fairies are speaking Scottish.

.

**Clarion's Hobby** - Chapter 5 - Neil the Fast-Flyer

Since Dachaigh Sidh's _(Fairy Home's)_ top fast-flyer was working on the mainland, someone had to be sent to fetch him. Vidia and Prilla decided to stay the night in Cridhe Sidh _(Fairy Heart)_. Phoebe and her friends kept the 2 Neverland fairies company into the evening, chatting about differences and similarities in their lives. Soon enough, came time for everyone to retire for the night.

Most of the local fairies left for their homes, but Phoebe accompanied them to a caretaker fairy in the Scots Pine tree.

"We were hoping you would stay overnight." the fairy smiled. "Would you like a 2-bedroom apartment? Or 2 single apartments?"

"A 2-bedroom will do." Vidia said, glancing at Prilla. They all followed the caretaker fairy up to the apartment, where she left them.

"I'm so glad you both came to visit us." Phoebe beamed. "If it's alright, I'll be back in the morning to pick you up for breakfast and pixie dust."

"That would be great, Phoebe." Prilla smiled.

"Wind at your feet!" Phoebe flew off. Prilla closed the door.

"Whew." sighed Vidia, flopping onto the over-stuffed couch in the common lounge area. "That was a busy day."

"So what do you think of Cridhe Sidh?" asked Prilla, dropping into a large padded chair.

"You're right. A lot like Pixie Hollow." Vidia pulled off her carry-bag. "Aparrrt frrrom the accent," she rolled her "R"s for emphasis, "They're a lot like us."

"I like them."

"Oh, you notice they said it would take over 2 hours to fly to their Fairy Camp?"

"Yeah?"

"They don't know about wind-folds." Vidia smiled.

"We should let Pixie Hollow know what we're doing." Prilla lifted the small communications crystal pendant hanging from her neck. "Pixie Hollow, are you there?"

"We're here Prilla." came a voice and image of a fairy from the crystal.

"Vidia and I will be staying the night. Vidia has some... business, tomorrow."

"So we heard." the pendant responded, as Vidia frowned. "Tell her good-luck from Pixie Hollow, in her race." Vidia's frown faded.

"I will." Prilla glanced at Vidia. "What does Queen Clarion think of Queen Caointiorn?"

"Ugh! They haven't stopped talking!" laughed the voice. "I think they're both going hoarse."

Vidia snorted. "Serves her right."

"We should be home tomorrow." Prilla yawned.

"Sounds good, Prilla. Fly with you soon."

Prilla dropped the crystal onto her chest. "Well, time to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow."

"If this Neil is any good." added Vidia.

* * *

><p>Vidia didn't quite trust the Scottish pixie dust next morning, so she gave a few fast test loops on her way to the race start area. When she, Prilla, and Phoebe touched down, it was clear that word had gotten around that there would be a fast-flyer race. There were many more local fairies than yesterday.<p>

They were there just long enough for Prilla to take Vidia's carry-bag, when Heather dropped in with a group of local fast-flyers.

"Don't you fairies have work to do?" Heather directed to the crowd. A few fairies reluctantly took to the air, but most stayed. Heather strolled to Vidia, with the fast-flyers behind her. She stepped aside, saying "Neil, this is Vidia from Neverland. Vidia, this is Neil, our top fast-flyer."

"Oo-oo. He's tall." Prilla spoke quietly to Phoebe.

"Aye." Phoebe returned, without looking at Prilla. "Half the fairies in Cridhe Sidh would like his attention, but he's all business; completely dedicated to fast-flying."

"Dedicated to fast-flying? Sounds like someone I know." Prilla gave a small smile.

Vidia and Neil studied each other for a moment, then fixed on the other's wings. There are no fast-flyers with small wings. Since Vidia was taller than most fairies, her wings were also larger. Neil was slightly taller than Vidia, so his wings were a bit larger than hers.

Neil broke the silence. "It's a genuine pleasure to meet you, Vidia." He was still staring at her wings.

"I hope you're as fast as they suggest." Vidia gazed at his wings. "I flew a long way to meet you."

Heather had seen this type of mutual wing admiration in fast-flyers before, and knew it could go on for minutes. "Ready to race, fast-flyers?" she cut-in.

"Aye." / "Yes." they braced for take-off.

"Alright then. Ready, and... Go!"

As the 2 flyers vanished from the start line, many fairies behind them squinted into the dust kicked-up by their back-wash.

* * *

><p>Vidia was startled, then thrilled to see Neil pull slightly ahead of her. <em>"This is more like it!"<em> she thought. She surged ahead of him for a moment, but he pulled up beside her. The end of the tree-line and their first turn was coming up fast.

She snapped around the turn faster than Neil, but he was soon up beside her again. Both of them were at their top speed along the valley rim. They traded lead position at random, depending on the vagaries of gusts and thermals. The tree-line and final turn rushed at them. They wrapped around the turn together and buzzed for the finish.

* * *

><p>"Every one clear the finish line!" Heather yelled. "Back! Back!" At this speed, they'd both over-shoot. Vidia and Neil charged across the finish together, looped upward to lose speed, then fluttered to the ground. They stood staring at each other in stunned silence.<p>

"It's a tie." admitted one of the fast-flyers. The news rippled through the crowd.

"You weren't holding back, were you?" asked Vidia.

"Nae. Were you?"

"No."

"You think we should go again?" asked Neil.

"We have to." Vidia gave a slight smile, and they both blasted away from the start again.

* * *

><p>Work seemed to have been forgotten, as more fairies kept arriving. All eyes were on the pair racing along the valley rim.<p>

"This is interesting." Prilla told Phoebe. "I don't think Vidia's ever flown against anyone as fast as her before."

"Nor has Neil." Phoebe added. "I hope they don't hurt themselves."

In what seemed like no time, the racers shot across the finish line together again. They stood facing each other with confused half-smiles.

"Alright, different race." Neil suggested. "This time we do a slalom race between the trees, loop around the last tree, then slalom back."

At an invisible cue they burst away from the start line, threading their way up the line of trees. Once more, neither of them could gain an advantage over the other. In no time, they were on their way back, whipping between the trees like a pair of rubbery arrows. They both hit the start line together.

"You're not going to let me win, are you?" Neil grinned at Vidia.

"You should just give up." Vidia smiled back at him.

"Why can't we agree that we're equally fast?" Neil suggested. Vidia frowned at that. "How would you like to play a fast-flyer game we developed here in Cridhe Sidh? I know I can win, but I still think you'll enjoy it."

"If it involves fast-flying, I'll win it." Vidia accepted the offer.

* * *

><p>.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

Author's Note: I could continue with Scottish dialog, but that would make difficult reading for you. So just "take it as read" that the Scottish fairies are speaking Scottish.

.

**Clarion's Hobby** - Chapter 6 - Dragonfly-Ball

Neil and Vidia touched down in a corner of a field, beside a 4-foot circle. Two of the fast-flyers raced off across the field, and soon returned with 6 dragonflies. Prilla, Phoebe, and a handful of local fairies landed to watch.

"We call this game Dragonfly-Ball." Neil told Vidia. "It can be played with 1 or 2 fast-flyers. Each flyer starts the game with a colored ball, and 3 matching colored dragonflies." He stepped into the circle, and picked up 2 large dried peas, 1 orange and 1 blue. Neil handed the orange ball to Vidia.

"The game is played inside the circle." He fluttered into the circle. "The object of the game is to keep your ball in the air using only your feet," he kicked the ball straight up, buzzed in a circle, then kicked it up again, "While trying to catch your 3 dragonflies." He caught the ball and fluttered back to Vidia.

"First one to catch their 3 dragonflies wins." Neil gestured to the group of 3 orange and 3 blue dragonflies. "These dragonflies are specially trained; they fly at random inside the circle, and when you grab them they'll fold up their wings and go rigid."

Vidia had no problem seeing the possibilities of the game. It contained elements of speed, timing, skill and chance. Great fun for a fast-flyer.

"Want a practice run?" asked Neil.

"No, I'll pick it up as we play." Vidia fluttered into the circle with her orange ball. Neil and the dragonflies hovered into the circle with her.

"The game starts when both balls are in the air." explained Neil. "Ready? Let's go." They both kicked their balls upward, and the dragonflies started their crazy flights.

"This is wild!" Prilla told Phoebe.

"Aye," Phoebe agreed, "Only fast-flyers can do this."

Neil already had one dragonfly under his arm. Vidia was fighting to work out a strategy. Her ball had almost dropped to the ground a couple of times. Shortly after Neil grabbed his second dragonfly, Vidia caught her first. Prilla clapped and cheered. Neil seemed to be having trouble with his elusive last dragonfly, but got it just as Vidia grabbed her second one.

"Don't be discouraged, Vidia." Neil sympathized. "We've been playing this for years."

"Never mind that. Let's go again." Vidia insisted.

The dragonflies buzzed into their chaotic dance as the 2 balls rose into the air. Vidia caught her first one just after Neil. She grabbed her second one as Neil floundered, then snatched his second. Vidia suddenly thought _"Why am I chasing these stupid dragonflies? Why can't I just use my winds to pull them to me?"_ After a long period of attempts, she finally got her third. She turned around to face Neil, who was hovering there with 3 dragonflies.

"You're doing really well, Vidia." Neil told her. "You have the makings of a first-class Dragonfly-Ball player."

"Again." was Vidia's response. Though Neil once again took the lead early, Vidia's wind-netting skill improved quickly. She caught her second and third dragonflies in rapid succession, while Neil was still after his third. Prilla and Phoebe jumped up and cheered. There was polite applause from some of the local fairies.

"Very good, Vidia." Neil gave her a warm smile. "I've never seen a player improve so quickly. This might be a good time to break for lunch, if you'd like?."

Normally Vidia would have a snappy answer to that, but all she could manage was "Sure."

As they flew off to the local tea-house together, Vidia asked "So what's with the waving hands in front, during the race?"

"That's just my personal style." explained Neil. "My hands work like forward canard winglets. It helps my maneuverability. I notice you have your own style."

"Really?"

"Oh, aye. You're very lithe in turns, like a cat with wings."

* * *

><p>Vidia sat with Neil and the local fast-flyers during lunch. Prilla sat nearby with Phoebe.<p>

"There's a bit more to Dragonfly-Ball than you've seen." Aileen stated to Vidia.

"What am I missing?" Vidia asked.

"Players aren't allowed to deliberately make physical contact," explained another, "But they can block or interfere with the other player."

"So you were going easy on me." Vidia eyed Neil.

"It was your first time playing..." Neil claimed.

* * *

><p>Prilla turned to Phoebe with a question she had been itching to ask for a while. "Phoebe, do you have any fairies who can travel to the mainland faster than a fast-flyer?"<p>

"Faster than a fast-flyer? Nae." Phoebe looked at Prilla curiously. "Nae one could be faster than that."

"Oh." Prilla sounded a bit disappointed. After a moment, she asked "What about fairies who don't seem to have a talent? Any of those?"

"Well... only a very few." Phoebe thought Prilla was trying to say something.

"Any unusual stories about those fairies?"

"Not really. Most of them move from talent to talent, as they're needed, but none of them are as good as true talents." Phoebe thought for a moment. "Unusual stories... there was one."

Prilla looked interested. "A couple years back," Phoebe began "She was working with the cooking talents. They were lifting a large, heavy kettle when the overhead beam snapped from dry-rot. The whole thing came down on this fairy. We thought we'd lost her for sure, but when the wreckage was cleared, she was gone!"

Prilla was captivated. "It turns out," Phoebe continued "She woke up in an orchard hours later, under her favorite tree, with no idea how she'd gotten there." Prilla's eyes sparkled, and her wings buzzed.

"Phoebe... I think I can trust you with a little secret." Prilla thought about how much she should say, as Phoebe waited. "I'm not really a fairy-colony-visiting-talent."

"Well, that does sound a bit made-up." Phoebe smiled.

"We have to return to Neverland, but you can tell that cooking fairy I'll be back to talk with her very soon."

* * *

><p>After lunch, Vidia and Prilla made preparations to head home.<p>

"I hope you don't mind if I introduce your Dragonfly-Ball game to Pixie Hollow fast-flyers." Vidia told Neil.

"Of course not." Neil looked pensive. "I do wish you could stay for a while, I'd teach you some of my tactics."

"I'll come visit again."

"Perhaps I could visit your Neverland?" Neil suggested.

"Well... Neverland is about 300 miles from here."

Neil looked concerned. "300 miles... that's about 6 or 7 hours of hard flying." He looked at Vidia with determination. "I could do that."

Vidia gave a smug little smile and stepped closer to Neil, speaking softly. "I can fly it alone in less than 30 minutes."

Neil's eyes grew huge. "What? Thoir do chasan leat! Really?" _(Get out of here!)_

Heather stepped up to Prilla and Vidia. "You gave us a bit of a start when we first met, but I can see now you're just like us. Queen Caointiorn gave me a message for you: Neverland fairies are welcome in Dachaigh Sidh." Heather smiled and stepped back. "May the wind always be at your feet."

Vidia and Prilla lifted into the air amid waves, and calls to "Come back soon." Neil followed them as they turned south.

"Vidia, how can you fly 300 miles in 30 minutes?" asked Neil.

"Prilla?" Vidia reached out a hand. Prilla swung over and took her arm in the double-grip. Vidia looked at Neil, smiling "Like this." Vidia and Prilla rocketed out of sight in seconds.

"Wow." was all a stupefied Neil could express.

* * *

><p>Vidia dropped her wind-fold 30 seconds later, being now 3 miles away from Neil and Dachaigh Sidh, but kept her grip on Prilla.<p>

"Oh, Vidia." grinned Prilla. "That was wicked of you. He'll go crazy trying to figure out how you did that."

"I guess it's back to Pixie Hollow." Vidia sighed.

Prilla Apparated them into the air above Pixie Hollow. They separated, and after a moment of re-orientation, headed for the Pixie Dust Tree where they would give Queen Clarion their report.

"That went reasonably well." Vidia commented.

"We met some new friends, you impressed some fast-flyers," Prilla trivialized, "And I think you have a new fan."

Vidia smiled quietly to herself.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Author's Post Note:

This story didn't go at all in the direction I originally intended. It wasn't supposed to be a "Vidia sports" story. It was supposed to have a Prilla-interest section, and the whole Scottish thing was supposed to be the first of 2 story halves. It just fluffed-out so well, that by the 4th chapter it became its own story. I'll have to put the other ideas into other stories.

Also, I had the bulk of this sporty story written before I found out the upcoming Tinker Bell 4 movie would be "Pixie Hollow Games". Honest. Mid-July (2011), I checked for TB4 movie news, and was surprised to find TB4 and TB5 had swapped places. Maybe my subconscious is tuned to Disney Fairies buzz.

Freaky.


End file.
